Though Lovers Be Un-Lost
by Ellian
Summary: A crossover between "Hunter" and "Beauty and the Beast". Hunter and McCall help look for Catherine Chandler. This is a continuation of my "Hunter" story "Continuing Unfinished Business".
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: If you haven't read my story "Continuing Unfinished Business", I suggest you head over to the "Hunter" TV show section and read it, to see how Hunter and McCall came to be 3000 miles from their TV stomping grounds (and with a plus one). AU from the affair described in the "Hunter" episode "Unfinished Business" and the "Beauty and the Beast" episode "Though Lovers Be Lost…"_

_Xxxxx_

Dee Dee McCall pushed a stray hair back from her face and smiled. "Well, Hunter, what do you think?"

"Spiffy," he answered. "You'll be the best dressed kid in school. Good luck on your first day as an official FBI agent."

"So, what are your plans for today?" McCall asked.

"I was going to check in with the watch commander at the station, see if my transfer to the NYPD came through, yet. Then, I might take Chloe down to the park."

"Well have fun," McCall said. "And remember to play nice with the other kids at the park." She leaned over and kissed Chloe where she was bouncing in her bassinet. "Be good for Daddy, ok?"

After McCall left, Hunter fed Chloe, then gave her a bath. It was mid morning by the time he finished, bundled Chloe and all her things, and was out the door onto the busy streets of Manhattan. He and McCall had been able to find a decent place for not too much money not to far from the FBI field office. The weather was nice, so he decided to walk to the station.

When he arrived, the watch commander let him know his transfer paperwork had come in, and pointed him to a Lt. Hernandez in Organized Crime.

He knocked on the door marked "Lt J. Hernandez", and entered at the invitation to enter.

"Lt. Hernandez, I'm Rick Hunter," he introduced himself.

"And who is this little lady?" Hernandez asked, crouching down to her in her stroller.

"This is Chloe, my daughter. We haven't quite found a daycare we like, yet, and since I haven't officially started with the Department," Hunter started to apologize.

"Don't think of it. I have two of my own," Hernandez offered. "My wife and I use a daycare on Worth Street that we like. I can get you the number, later."

"I'd appreciate that, Lt."

"We did receive your transfer paperwork from LAPD. I see you were in Homicide there."

"That's correct," Hunter confirmed.

"Well, unfortunately, we don't have any openings in Homicide. And, truth be told, we need more help in Organized Crime. I don't know if you heard out in LA or not, but one of our Assistant DAs, Catherine Chandler, went missing a couple months ago."

"Yeah, that made the news in LA. Apparently another member of the DA's office was nearly blown up?"

"Yes, same case. Joe Maxwell, the one that was nearly blown up, received a book from an old law school buddy, then gave it to Chandler. We think someone kidnapped her to try to get the book."

"But if all they wanted was the book, why keep her so long? Why not let her go, or kill her and dump her body, if she didn't have it with her?" Hunter asked.

"That's what we can't quite figure out. But they're getting a task force together. We can have you assigned there, for now. Who knows, maybe a pair of fresh eyes will give us the break we need. Tell you what, the task force is meeting in 2 days, in the afternoon. Check in with the watch commander the day after tomorrow at morning roll call. We can get your badge and gun issued, then, and you can go to the task force meeting in the afternoon. That'll give you some time to get daycare setup."

"Sounds good. Oh, and do you have that daycare number?"

"Oh, yeah," Hernandez said, rooting around on his desk. He finally found his address book, and copied the number and address down, handing it to Hunter. "See you in a couple days."

"See you then," Hunter said, shaking the Lieutenant's hand.

Hunter left the police station and headed to check out the daycare center. If he liked it, he could let McCall know about it.


	2. Chapter 2

Catherine Chandler placed the room for the 1000th time. She'd tried to count the days she'd been kept here, and by her estimate, it had been a little over a month since they'd moved her. The funny thing was, they hadn't questioned her since they moved her; yet before that they had done all they could to make her tell them where the book Joe had given her was stashed. She couldn't figure it. Joe had been hospitalized because of that book; his friend had been killed. Elliot Burch hadn't wanted to touch the book with a ten foot pole, and he normally didn't shy away from challenges. She couldn't let them down, and tell her kidnappers what they wanted, if and when they started asking again.

Unless it was about Vincent. She thought she'd heard him when they were driving away from the initial place they'd held her, but she couldn't be sure. She'd been so out of it, with the drugs they'd given her during the questioning. Half a dozen times, she had thought she'd seen Vincent in that room during the questioning, lending her strength.

* * *

Dr. Peter Alcott sat in his office, going over the latest batch of lab results and catching up on paperwork. He closed one file, moved it to the finished stack, and pulled the next lab result. He stopped dead when he saw the name on the sheet of paper. Catherine Chandler. The date of the test was just before she'd gone missing, and it showed a positive pregnancy test. He stood up, still holding the result, and walked over to the receptionist's desk.

"Connie," he asked, showing her the paper, "when did we get this test result?"

The receptionist looked at the paper. "Just yesterday. Jenny from the hospital records department said she was going over her files, and couldn't remember if she'd sent the results over after the patient requested they send the results to us. I told her to send them over, just in case. Why, is something wrong?"

"No, nothing," Peter said. "What do I have for the rest of the afternoon?"

"A well baby exam. They're her now, filling out paperwork," she gestured to a couple in the waiting room with a baby about nine months old, bent over a clipboard. "Then, nothing," she said, checking the appointment calendar.

"Ok, Connie. Keep the rest of the afternoon clear. I'll do the well baby exam, then take the rest of the day off."

Connie nodded.

Just then, the male half of the couple stood and came up to the reception desk. He handed Connie the clipboard.

"Thank you, Mr. Hunter," she said, taking the clipboard.

Peter set the lab result face down on Connie's desk.

"Mr. Hunter, I'm Dr. Alcott. I can take you back now, while Connie takes care of the paperwork," he said.

Connie handed Peter the medical history portion of the paperwork, keeping the insurance portion for herself.

Peter took the family back to the exam room.

"So," Peter started, looking down at the paperwork in his hands, "I see little Chloe here is 9 months old. So, how has she been doing?"

The check up went well, with Chloe hitting all her developmental expectations. As they finished, Peter walked the McCall-Hunter family back to the waiting room.

"Connie," Peter asked, "please set them up with another well baby appointment in 3 months or so." He turned to the family. "Thanks for coming in. If anything comes up before your next appointment, please feel free to call." Peter shook their hands, then headed out.

A couple minutes later, as Peter waited for the elevator, he heard his last patients leave his office.

"So, you never told me what happened at the task force meeting. How'd it go?"

"Good. Listen, I might want to bounce a few ideas off you later about this Catherine Chandler, you being a girl and all," Hunter teased.

"Oh, you noticed that did you? Gee whizz," his partner laughed.

"Yes, I did. I might have to check again later, though. A strip search maybe in order."

"Sure, I might have to strip search you in return. I have to be sure I'm safe, you know," McCall quipped back.

"So, your ok with me running a few things by you?"

"Sure, Hunter," she agreed.

They reached the bank of elevators and noticed Dr. Alcott waiting for the elevator, and blushed.

"Sorry," McCall said to Dr. Alcott, "we have this weird relationship."

The elevator arrived, and Peter separated from them outside the building lobby, quickly heading below.


	3. Chapter 3

"Pregnant?" Vincent asked, taken aback.

"Yes, pregnant. Apparently Catherine had labs tests done as a part of giving blood, and asked the results be sent to my office," Peter Alcott answered.

"Who's the father?" Vincent asked.

"You mean it's not you?" Peter asked. "I assumed that's why she had the results sent to me. I haven't been her regular doctor since she moved back after college."

Vincent looked taken aback by the idea. "My memories from when I was sick still haven't returned fully. Could it be possible?" he asked.

"It could be the reason she sent the note for you two to meet on the day she was kidnapped," Father interjected.

"I hate to add more things into the mix, but there's something else you should know," Peter said. "When I saw the results, I went to see why there was a delay in receiving them. Apparently, the hospital had been reviewing their files and noticed the results may not have been sent, yet, so they sent them again. When I asked my receptionist about them, I had patients in the waiting room: a family that recently moved here, in for a well baby exam. Normally I wouldn't have thought anything about it, but as I was leaving, I heard the father mention Catherine's name. He's a NYPD officer, and has apparently been assigned to the taskforce that's looking for Catherine. Now, I'm pretty sure he didn't see the lab results, and I didn't say Catherine's name, but…"

"Oh my god," Father said. "If this child is Vincent's…"

"It gets worse. The mother's an FBI agent, recently assigned to New York. He was asking for her take on Catherine's disappearance."

"What was your impression of this couple?" Vincent asked.

"Smart. Determined. They played off each other like they've known each other a while, in a weird, joking kind of way. There was respect there, though. Rick Hunter, the father, cared enough about the mother and the baby to follow her all the way from Los Angeles even though they're not married. The mother's last name is McCall."

"Can you keep an eye on them for us, Peter?"

"As much as I can, but the baby's not due for another regular checkup for a few months."

"We can also put the word out among the Helpers, to let us know if they hear anything concerning them," Father suggested.

* * *

McCall walked through Catherine Chandler's apartment, trying to get a sense of the woman that lived there.

It was neat and well appointed; the apartment of a well to do working professional.

"Joe Maxwell said she told him she'd been seeing some guy who was apparently having some sort of health problems. We found a box of things from a guy named Vincent in the bedroom closet and a few things from him in her vanity drawer; we figure that was the guy she told Maxwell about. The only other man she'd shown romantic interest in was Elliott Burch, but we weren't able to find anything for him in the apartment. Burch says the relationship didn't last long between them anyway."

"Or so Burch says. If she was seeing this Vincent, why wasn't there more of his stuff around?" McCall asked. She moved to the closet. "Everything is how she left it?"

Hunter nodded. "The box is in the bottom right."

McCall crouched down and sorted through the box. A few books, a few odds and ends including invitation drawn by children and signed by Vincent: "the children request the honor of your presence…"

"Hunter, if Chloe drew you an invitation to something, and I signed it as well, would you stick it in a box on the closet?" McCall asked.

"No. But whose kids drew this? As far as we know, Catherine Chandler didn't have any."

"Maybe they're his kids. He could be married; that could be why the relationship was a secret. No, that doesn't make sense. Who would introduce their kids to the mistress? Kids suck at keeping secrets." McCall thought out loud.

"Divorced or widowed, maybe?" Hunter chimed in.

"But why the need for secrecy? Was it someone who, if it got out, she'd get in trouble for dating? Or there would be some kind of consequence her job, like for us?"

"A witness or victim in one of her cases?" Hunter asked.

"A possibility. Maybe look through her cases again, with an eye to that. It would help if we actually knew when...wait, didn't you say she disappeared before?" McCall asked, a gleam in her eye.

"Yes, about 2 years ago, after an attack. But that was only for 10 days. She never did say where she was during that time, and where she was hadn't investigated much, after they were able to track down her attackers without the information."

"She had to be somewhere. If it was someplace she felt safe, she might have stashed the book there, or be hiding out there now."

"It's worth a shot, but any leads would be extremely cold after 2 years."

"Well, they aren't getting any warmer while we're sitting in this dusty apartment, are they?" McCall asked.


	4. Chapter 4

Hunter sat in the library, going over microfiche of old New York Times issues. His rubbed his eyes, and scrubbed his face with his hands.

"You know, McCall, looking at old society pages is not exactly my idea of fun," he complained. "None of the guys she was photographed with were named Vincent."

"Well, if you have a better idea," McCall answered back from behind a second microfiche machine, "go...hey, what was her home address, again?"

Hunter looked at his notebook and read it off.

"Get this: a teenager got lost in some tunnels below her building, about a year ago."

Hunter walked up to the machine, and read the news story that McCall had found. It detailed a teenager, who having found an opening in the building basement leading to a maze of forgotten tunnels, had decided to go exploring. Firefighters sent after him had found him after his father had reported the boy missing. Authorities had chalked the incident up to the boy acting out over his divorced parents fighting about where he would spend his spring break.

"Well, if Chandler didn't know about the tunnels before this incident, she did after. It would be hard to miss a search party for the kid. It might make a good place to stash the book, until she found a better place. What do you say, McCall, want to go exploring?"

"You always take me to the nicest places, Hunter," she replied.

They packed their things and headed to Catherine Chandler's apartment building. It took them 15 minutes of searching the basement storage area, before they found the opening in the wall behind a couple of boxes. They quickly checked the boxes for the book before using a ladder built into the wall to climb down into the tunnel, and searched the immediate surrounding area to with no results.

"The further we get from the building, the less likely Chandler left the book here," McCall said.

Hunter sighed and nodded. "Well, it was worth a shot. How about we go find the superintendent and see if Chandler rented one of those storage units? Who knows, if she did, we might find something to shed light on where she is or what she did with that book. We could also try to talk to that kid that got lost down here."

The two headed up to find the building superintendent.

After they left, a boy with a mop of brown hair in threadbare clothes emerged from hiding and ran down the tunnels into a more populated area.

* * *

"What did they look like, Kipper?"

Kipper gave a similar description to the one Peter Alcott had of the law enforcement couple in his office.

"We should seal the entrance to Catherine's building immediately," Father said.

"If they came back and found new construction, they might become more suspicious," Vincent replied. "If they do come back, which it sounds like they may not, it might be better to let them think the tunnels are abandoned."

"What would you suggest, then, Vincent?" his father asked.

Vincent sighed. "We haven't had any luck finding Catherine after they moved her from that warehouse. My connection with her is gone, for whatever reason. What if we contacted them, swap information? Maybe putting our heads together will find Catherine."

"Vincent, you're talking about going to the authorities! They can't be trusted!"

"Father, I understand you don't trust the authorities Above, but this is Catherine we're talking about. I owe her my life. She's helped us more times than I can count. And if her child is mine, I owe it to her and the child to do all I can to find them. She's the only one, besides Devin, that dared to dream of a normal life for me."

"Not the only one, Vincent. I've just been so scared for you, of what might happen if you were caught Above," Father sighed. "If you must do this, please be careful."


	5. Chapter 5

Hunter filled the tiny spoon with mashed carrots and made an airplane noise as he brought it to Chloe's mouth. She laughed, and ate the bite.

McCall finished unpacking the takeout food for the grownups, and set a plate in front of him.

"Gee, McCall, we're almost domestic," Hunter said, feeding the baby another bite.

"Yeah, now if only one of us could learn to cook than boiled toast, we'd be set," McCall answered.

"Don't worry. When my mother comes to visit next month, she'll stock the freezer with enough home cooked meals for a year. You'll have enough eggplant parmigiana that you'll get sick of it."

"Hey, did you ever cook me that dinner? I don't seem to recall…"

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

McCall went to answer it, and found Dr. Alcott on the other side of the door.

"Dr. Alcott," she greeted him in surprise. "Come in. Is everything okay?"

"There's nothing wrong, at least with Chloe, if that's what you're wondering," he said, entering the apartment. "But I did want to talk with you and Mr. Hunter about something else, if I can."

McCall nodded. "We're just sitting down to dinner, if you want to join us."

He nodded and she led him to the kitchen, where Chloe had finished her carrots and Hunter was setting some chopped banana on her high chair tray.

Hunter looked up, and cocked and eyebrow at McCall.

McCall gestured for Dr. Alcott to sit. "He'd like to talk to us about something that isn't Chloe."

She got him a plate as he gathered his thoughts, then spoke.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop the other day, but I heard you mention Catherine Chandler's name when you were leaving my office. I debated whether to bring this information to you, especially since it could be considered privileged under doctor-patient care. That changed when another of my patients came to me tonight and asked for an introduction to you. Someone who could probably shed some light on your search for Catherine."

"Doctor, if you know someone who is willing to come forward and help us find Miss Chandler, we'd be perfectly willing to meet with them at the time and place of their choosing," Hunter replied.

"Good," Peter Alcott answered, sighing in relief. "Because he's waiting outside. Is your fire escape outside the window in here, or the one the living room?"

"This window," McCall answered suspiciously.

"If you could open it, I promise you'll see why in just a minute," Peter requested.

McCall peered out the window, but the bright light in the kitchen reflected against the darkness outside, making it hard to see into the shadows beyond. She looked back at Peter Alcott, as if sizing him up. Hunter shifted his weight, and moved his chair back slightly, allowing better access to the gun still holstered on his belt. He nodded to McCall. She opened the window slowly, and heard someone on the metal fire escape outside.

"Come forward where I can see you," she called.

A man in a long black cloak, hood covering his face, came forward into the light from the kitchen window.

"Pull down your hood," McCall said, "slowly."

The man slowly brought his hands to the hood, hesitated for a second, then lowered the hood. The face that was revealed was unique: clear blue eyes over a flattened nose and thickened split lip gave the impression of a cat-man. He stood, patiently in the window, while Hunter and McCall took in his appearance.

McCall stepped back from the window, gesturing for him to come inside.

He claimed inside the window. "My name is Vincent," he introduced himself.

McCall and Hunter looked at each other. Hunter raised an eyebrow.

Vincent proceeded to tell them the results of his search for Catherine, including finding her at the warehouse just as her kidnappers were moving her. He also told them the results of the lab test Peter Alcott had just received.

"Well, that gives us a few things to check out tomorrow. Where can we reach you, Vincent?" Hunter asked.

"Peter can get a message to me," he answered.

"Ok, we'll do that. Thanks to both of you for stopping by. "

Peter Alcott and Vincent made their goodbyes and left.

"Oh, Vincent and Chandler were using those tunnels under her building to meet," McCall said.

"Oh, yeah," Hunter agreed. "How much of their story did you believe?"

"I'm not sure. We'll see after we check out the warehouse, and the other bits we can. Some of it will be hard to verify. I have one question, though. Did you want to take kitchen cleanup or baby cleanup? I think Chloe actually got more banana on the outside than the inside," McCall said, gesturing at the baby, who was having fun smearing banana all over her face and her high chair tray.

Hunter watched the baby warily. "I'll take the kitchen. It doesn't wiggle and splash when I try to clean it."

He found both his girls passed out on the bed, when he was done in the kitchen. He got ready for bed, then joined them, with Chloe in between him and McCall, and watched them sleep until he fell asleep as well.


	6. Chapter 6

McCall's footsteps echoed in the warehouse.

"No one's been here in at least a month. We might have better luck tracking down the owners of the warehouse, see if we can track Chandler down that way," Hunter said, standing up from examining old footprints in the dirt. "Listen," he said, "can you track that down on the FBI side? I'd rather keep this to ourselves until we know exactly what we have. It still bothers me that Chandler was kidnapped from the garage at the DA's office."

"Do you have any reason to suspect anyone at on the task force or at the DA's office?" McCall asked.

"Not specifically," he said, "it's more of a gut feeling than anything. And while you're tracking down the warehouse owner, I'd like to talk to Elliott Burch. If Vincent isn't the father of Chandler's baby, my money is on him. I'd like to rattle his cage a bit, man to man."

McCall searched his face, then nodded.

* * *

Elliott Burch flipped through the book Catherine Chandler had given him. The best cryptologists he could find hadn't been able to decode it. None of the private detectives he'd hired had found Catherine, yet, either.

The phone on his desk buzzed. He picked it up.

"Mr. Burch, there's a Sgt. Hunter from NYPD here to see you," his secretary let him know.

Burch hesitated, slipped the book into his desk drawer, and told her he'd see the policeman.

"Sgt Hunter, what can I do for you?"

"We're just going over Catherine Chandler's personal connections, again, to make sure we didn't miss anything. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions," Hunter answered.

"If I can do anything I can do to help, I will," Burch said.

"Good. Now," Hunter started, flipping through his notebook, "you've said you're romantic relationship with Ms. Chandler ended over a year ago?"

"That's correct. We have seen each other occasionally in the time since, in passing. About a month before she was kidnapped, she implied she was dating someone else, though. Let me tell you, I was somewhat disappointed. I hoped there might be a possibility we might get back together."

"So, did that make you jealous? Enough to do something to her, or the man she was dating?"

Burch laughed. "Sgt. Hunter, you've never met Catherine Chandler, so let me tell you something about her. If I'd done anything like you suggest, she would have cut me off like that," Burch snapped his fingers. "Any hope I would have for a future romantic relationship with her would vanish into thin air, even if this other man disappeared off the face of the earth yesterday. I enjoy any woman I'm with to be with me willingly."

"Did she tell you who this man was?"

"No, she didn't." Burch seemed to consider something, then spoke again. "I'm sure you'll find out eventually, if you haven't already. Catherine visited me here at my office less than a week before she was kidnapped. She hoped to enlist my help decoding some book in a case she was working, since what little she had been able to decipher involved real estate developers. I turned her down. I deal with these people routinely in my business, and didn't want to risk any of those dealings."

"Did she leave the book with you?" Hunter asked.

"No."

Hunter watched Burch's face. The other man was lying about something, or holding something back. He'd bet a year's salary on it.

"Well, thank you, Mr. Burch. I'll be in touch if I have any more questions."

The two men shook hands, and Hunter left the office. It might do to keep an eye on this man. He headed to the station, so he could get started on a warrant request to have his phone tapped.


	7. Chapter 7

It took McCall most of the day to track the warehouse ownership through several shell corporations to a man known as Gabriel, and to track down several of his real estate holdings in New York City. She had requested a record search for the surrounding area, but would have to wait for those results to come back.

Of Gabriel's holdings, in the city, besides the warehouse, there was an office building, a busy shopping mall, and an apartment complex. The shopping mall and the apartment building seemed to busy for Chandler to be held there without someone noticing, but one of Gabriel's holding companies held offices occupying the top two floors of the office building.

She called over to the task force where Hunter was assigned, and made plans to meet him by the office building in upper Manhattan.

* * *

Hunter pulled his car into the space behind where McCall's car was parked on the street. He shut off his car, got out, and walked forward to McCall's car. It was empty. He looked around, then headed for the building lobby.

The building directory in the lobby listed a financial services company called Destiny Fidelity Investments on the top 2 floors. He was just about to head up when he saw a balding heavyset man Hunter recognized as Manhattan District Attorney John Moreno stepped out of one of the elevators and crossed the lobby for the exit doors. He seemed troubled and lost in his own world, not looking around at all, and certainly not in Hunter's direction.

Just as Moreno stepped out onto the street, McCall emerged from another elevator.

"Oh, good, Love Muffin, you're here," she said, raising to her tip toes and kissing him on the cheek. "I was just telling Bob here that there must be some mistake," she said, gesturing to a man who had followed her out of the elevator. He was almost as tall as Hunter and wearing a business suit, but the way he carried himself said bodyguard to Hunter. "You see, I told him we had an appointment to go over our finances at Destiny Fidelity, but they didn't know anything about it. You told me we had an appointment," she pouted.

Hunter decided to play along, trying to think quickly on his feet.

"Pookie," Hunter said, "I told you to wait for me. We don't, exactly, have an appointment, you see. I told you that," he said turning to the other man. "She gets confused, you see. John Moreno said Destiny Fidelity could help us out, you see. We found this little black book in the apartment we just moved into, and Mr. Moreno said there might be a reward for it. He wanted us to give it to him, but Pookie wanted us to bring it down ourselves. Women," Hunter asked the other man conspiratorially, "what can you do?"

Bob narrowed his eyes, and gestured to the two cops to follow him to the elevator. The trio rode the elevator up to the top floor. He whispered something to the receptionist as they got out of the elevator. The receptionist disappeared into a hallway behind her desk, and returned a couple minutes later, nodding to Bob. He gestured, and Hunter and McCall followed him back.

* * *

Catherine Chandler stared out the window, and cupped her abdomen. She was starting to show, more quickly than she would've thought, and wondered how Vincent would react when he found out. The last time she had seen him, talked to him, his mental state had been so fragile. How was he doing now, she wondered.

She cocked her head, thinking she heard footsteps. Holding her breath, she heard them again. They weren't familiar footsteps; she'd gotten to know the footsteps of her captors, and there weren't many strangers that visited. She moved to the door, and the footsteps sounded like they were moving away.

This might be her chance. She took a deep breath, and yelled, "Help! I'm in here." She pounded and kicked on the door. "Help me!"

Catherine heard the footsteps approaching again, and heard a male voice demand the door be opened. The familiar voice of one of her guards refused.

"Stand back from the door," Catherine heard the stranger yell, and she moved back from the door.

The door exploded inward to reveal a tall, skinny man with light brown hair and a prominent widow's peak. A brunette woman about her height stood behind him, holding the guard at bay with a pistol.

"Catherine Chandler?" the man asked.

She nodded.

The brunette handcuffed the guard, and had him kneel against the wall with his feet crossed.

"McCall, you'd better take him in on your side," the tall man said. "You'd never believe who I saw leaving the building."

"Moreno? Yeah, I thought I recognized him going in, but I wasn't sure. We need a safe place to stash her, though," McCall said, gesturing to Catherine.

"What do you say we call Dr Alcott, get a message to Vincent?"

McCall nodded. "You do that, Hunter. I'll book this guy into federal custody."


	8. Chapter 8

Vincent paced by the tunnel entrance under Peter Alcott's office building. He'd hardly believed the message when Peter had sent it down. Catherine, alive and well, and headed to him.

The door to the entrance opened, to reveal Catherine and Sgt Hunter. Vincent only had eyes for Catherine, though. She rushed forward, and hugged him. Vincent returned the embrace, and could feel the slight swelling of her pregnancy against him.

"Catherine," Vincent breathed, "are you alright?"

Catherine nodded.

Vincent turned to Hunter. "Thank you for bringing her safely here, Sgt Hunter."

Hunter nodded and shook the hand the other man offered. He then turned to Catherine. "Would you like me to go with you further?" he asked.

"No, thank you. I have a lot to discuss with Vincent. You can reach me through Dr Alcott for anything. I'd still like to get the guys responsible for kidnapping me."

Hunter nodded, and left back the way he came.

Catherine sighed. "I've wanted to tell you something, but put it off because of your health. But if anything the last month or so has taught me, it's to let the people I love know. I do love you, Vincent," she said, taking his hand..

"I love you, too, Catherine. I may not remember everything, but I am sure of that," Vincent replied.

"There's something else. When you were sick, during that day in that cave, we made love," she said, taking a deep breath, and putting his hand on her stomach. "I'm pregnant, with our baby. "

Vincent looked down in wonder to where his hand touched the swell of Catherine's belly.

* * *

By the time McCall finished booking the guard and taking his statement, she found her supervisory agent waiting at her desk.

"You know, McCall, if you solve all the crimes, there'll be nothing left for us more experienced agents to do," Supervisory Agent Dunham said. "So, tell me, where you are currently."

McCall debriefed him on the warehouse connections to the financial company, leaving the warehouse tip as an anonymous one, and what Catherine Chandler had briefly told her and Hunter about her kidnapping.

"Hunter has her at a safe house, now. I think the less people who know where it is, the better."

"Well, get me Chandler's official statement as soon as you can. The place you have her stashed is secure? Do you need additional agents to help guard her? " Dunham asked.

"Oh, she's secure. I don't think we need additional agents at this time."

"Ok, McCall. I'll trust you on this for now, but we have to step carefully on this. We're talking investigating the District Attorney of Manhattan on some pretty serious charges. Keep me in the loop."

McCall spent the remainder of the day writing up her reports, stuck them in Agent Dunham's tray for her to read, and left the FBI field office just as twilight was setting in.


	9. Chapter 9

Peter Alcott moved the ultrasound wand over Catherine Chandler's abdomen, watching the monitor closely.

"Well, baby's a bit bigger than normal for the gestational age, but there's always variation there. Otherwise, everything is progressing normally," he said, smiling.

"You're sure?" Vincent asked.

Peter nodded. "It's too soon to say whether the child will take more after Catherine's appearance or yours."

"Either way, Vincent, this is your child. I love it, and you," Catherine said, reaching up to stroke his cheek.

Vincent smiled and leaned his cheek into her hand, relishing the touch.

"Well, if you two don't have any questions for me, Catherine can change from the paper gown back to her clothes," Peter said.

Catherine and Vincent indicated they didn't have questions, and Peter left the room so Catherine could change.

* * *

Elliott Burch sat at his desk, scowling. The FBI agent across from him was pretty and exuded a confidence that said she'd get what she wanted, eventually, one way or another. He looked down at the letter in front of him, written by Catherine Chandler, and letting him know it was ok to hand over the book she'd given him. He recognized the handwriting. The letter did include a code word they'd set up when Catherine had given him the book, indicating she was safe it was ok to trust the person with the note. He opened his desk drawer, and fingered the book.

"How do I know she's safe?"

"The code in the letter doesn't match?" McCall's tone was inscrutable, but she was beginning to doubt if the man would cooperate.

Birch sighed. He hadn't even told his men about the code, and he doubted Catherine had told anyone either before she was kidnapped. He took the book from the drawer, and set it on the top of the desk.

"So much trouble for such a little book," he said. "I've had my men trying to crack this thing since Catherine Chandler gave it to me, with no luck. Hopefully you have better luck."

"Thank you, Mr. Burch," McCall said sincerely. "I appreciate your trust."

Burch nodded, and they said their goodbyes.


	10. Chapter 10

With the book retrieved from Elliot Burch and Catherine Chandler's statement that John Moreno had been there when she was kidnapped, the snail's pace of the case sped to a turtle's pace.

The FBI code crackers slowly worked on cracking the book, helped by Moreno, who turned state's evidence in exchange for reduced charges.

* * *

Vincent walked the night streets, hooded and cloaked. The crisp fall air had his fellow city dwellers similarly bundled, so no one looked askance.

He'd enjoyed the past week with Catherine, as she stayed with him in his chamber. Peter Alcott and his father both seemed to think her nearness would jog his memory and aid in his healing. Catherine went to sleep each night in his arms, her pregnancy serving as a chaperone. He hadn't quite been able to bring himself to give her more than a chaste kiss or hug since she'd returned to him, even though Catherine had hinted that she'd welcome more when he was ready and Peter had said it was perfectly safe medically speaking.

He looked up to see his feet had led him to Hunter and McCall's apartment building. He hesitated, then climbed the fire escape. The lights in their apartment emitted a warm glow, and looking into the kitchen, he saw the small family just finishing dinner. The baby gurgled and laughed as her Hunter made faces and clowned at her.

He felt like a voyeur as McCall stood up, paused to kiss Hunter on the top of the head, and started to clear the table.

"Careful, McCall, that's one of my sensitive spots. I might get ideas," Hunter joked.

"Why, Hunter, you keep unfolding like a flower. How come you've never told me this before?" McCall asked.

Vincent moved to leave, but most have made a noise.

Hunter looked out the window, squinting and moving towards it to see through the window better. "Vincent," he greeted, as he opened the window. "Come in from the cold."

Vincent stepped into the apartment and closed the window after him so as not to let in the fall chill. He lowered his hood, and took an offered seat.

"How is Catherine doing? Is everything ok?" McCall asked.

Vincent answered that Catherine was fine, then hesitated. "I was just taking a walk, and pondering...what it would be like to be a father…" Vincent trailed off.

McCall looked between the two men, and raised an eyebrow at Hunter. Hunter nodded, almost imperceptibly. "Well, I think it's time for someone to have a bath," she declared, and picked up the baby. "I'll let you two talk," she said, leaving with Chloe to the bathroom.

"I didn't mean to make her feel unwelcome," Vincent said.

"Trust me, if she had objection or felt unwelcome, she would have said. A new baby is a lot to wrap your head around, isn't it?" Hunter asked.

Vincent nodded. "Especially when you don't remember the act that conceived the child. I've never wanted to tie Catherine to me. I've always been relegated to the shadows; she deserves the light."

"And what does Catherine say to this?"

"She wants to stay with me, but…"

Hunter interrupted Vincent. "Why do you doubt her? Has she ever given you reason to think she'll change her mind, or is being insincere?"

"No. I just want the best for her," Vincent replied.

"And who's the best judge of that but her? Catherine struck me as someone more than willing to let someone know if she doesn't want to be with them. Heck, Elliot Burch probably sitting in a penthouse somewhere right now wondering why she's not with him, when he can offer her anything money can buy. He still has feelings for her if I read him right. So why is she with you instead of him? What can you offer her that Elliot Burch's resources in the light can't?"

Vincent looked thunderstruck. He'd never thought his insistence that Catherine belonged completely in the world Above was discounting her wishes, or dismissing her feelings. He'd once defended a young couple in love against the girl's grandfather, who had thought a more well to do young man was better for her to marry. Had he been doing the same to Catherine? Keeping her in a holding pattern, while she waited for him be ready for more?

"You've given me a lot to think about."

"Trust me, Vincent. My little family almost never was. I felt a growing love for Dee Dee long before we ever did anything remotely romantic, but I didn't act on it because I didn't want to lose my friendship with her. But, one night, we let the walls down, and it might have just been a one-off if she hadn't gotten pregnant. But do you know what the last year and a half have taught me? The risk is so worth it. I never thought I'd have a family of my own, but Dee Dee, and now Chloe, have returned back to me so much more than I could have ever thought. Chloe turned out to be the best surprise either of us could have received. She tied Dee Dee and I together forever, and forced us to confront our feelings for each other."

Vincent nodded. He'd once told Catherine that you either move toward love or away from it. Perhaps it was time he moved toward love. He made his goodbyes and headed Below.


	11. Chapter 11

Rick Hunter walked back to the nursery, and found McCall cradling Chloe in the rocking chair, singing sweetly to her. He crouched down next to the chair, and kissed the sleeping baby on the forehead.

"Did you mean what you said to Vincent? That Chloe was the best surprise ever?" McCall whispered.

"So you heard?" Hunter asked.

McCall nodded.

"Yes. Chloe gave me the opportunity to act on feelings I was afraid to act on, and she was just a little thing then," Hunter smiled, stroking the baby's cheek.

"You'd better be careful, then. She's getting bigger by the day. Soon she'll have you wrapped around her little finger," McCall answered.

"She already does."

"Rick," McCall started, looking into his blue eyes. Somewhere along the way, she realized, he'd become her soft place to land. He was the safest place she knew, and had been there for her during every challenge and curve in the road. She took a deep breath, and decided to jump. "Will you marry me?"

He returned her gaze, and almost fell back into their usual banter. This moment seemed weightier somehow. He put her hand to her cheek. "Yes," he said, leaning in to kiss her on the lips.

"You know I'll be expecting a ring, now," he said when they came up for air. "I still like to be wooed, you know."

"Let me put Chloe in her crib and I'll show you how I can woo you," McCall said suggestively.

Hunter moved aside to let her put the baby in the crib, watching her appreciatively as she tucked the baby in tenderly. McCall then turned to him and kissed him again on the lips, molding her body against his. She broke the kiss, crooked her finger at him, and walked suggestively toward their bedroom. He followed eagerly.


	12. Chapter 12

Catherine Chandler sat in the dining hall, enjoying the warm atmosphere of the community Below enjoying a meal together, and lingering afterward for conversation and company. That last week had begun to restore her faith in humanity, that had been shaken by her kidnapping.

Her time with Vincent had been enjoyable, but it felt like he was holding something back. She was worried that if he didn't confront whatever was holding him back, the fragile mental peace he currently had fought for would be for nothing, and he would slide back into the crisis that had led of the moment in the cave.

Not that she regretted what had happened. It had given them the life growing inside her, she just regretted that he didn't have any memory of it. She worried that the lack of memory was him still trying to repress what he saw as his darker side, one he thought his loved ones had to be shielded from.

"You seem deep in thought," a deep, warm voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Vincent," Catherine exclaimed happily. "How was your walk Above?"

"Illuminating," he said, taking her hand.

Catherine smiled. It was the first physical contact he had initiated since she had returned.

"Would you like to accompany me on a walk?"

"Yes, Vincent, I would," she answered, standing up and following him from the dining hall.

They walked in silence for a bit, before Vincent spoke.

"I went to visit Rick Hunter and his family. They send their regards."

Catherine nodded, but didn't speak. She wanted to give him the chance.

"I had a discussion with Rick," Vincent continued. "I wanted to get his opinion on being a father, but the discussion ended up about more than that. He told me that he held back on acting on his romantic feelings for Dee Dee because he was afraid of losing her friendship, and that he had almost missed out on the pleasure of a family because of it. I've been thinking as I walked back. Catherine, I think I've been doing something similar. I wanted to give you the opportunity to choose that life with someone Above, and am afraid that I haven't listened to you when you've been saying that you want me. Do you still want me in that way?"

Catherine reached up and held his cheek in her hand, smiling.

"Vincent, I wouldn't be here if I didn't. I've wanted everything you can give me. I love you. I wish you could remember what happened that night, in the cave."

They had reached Vincent's chamber and stepped inside. They sat down, Catherine on the bed, and Vincent on the armchair beside it.

"Tell me, what happened. I want to remember," Vincent asked.

Catherine sighed and took a breath. "Father had sent for me. Everyone was worried about you, since you had retreated into the cave and no one could get close to you. I went to you, alone. You were alternatively yelling and mumbling, and then you just collapsed to the floor. I went to check on you, and you were mumbling about needing me. I held you in my arms, and tried to let you know I was there for you. I tried whispering, talking, holding you in my arms, anything I could think of to let you know that I was there for you. Finally, I held your face in my hands and kissed you. You returned the kiss…"

Vincent let Catherine's voice wash over him, trying to connect her words to something, anything, that he could remember. Bits and pieces of his ordeal flashed in his mind. The two sides of himself, the gentle wise face he showed to the community Below and the fierce protective raw side that he used when they were in danger, had warred with each other. How did he resolve those 2 sides into one being?

He moved forward, laying his head in Catherine's lap. The physical touch of her, with the rounded belly of her pregnancy and the warmth of her body seemed to slow his troubled thoughts. How could he have ever thought being close to her was wrong?

The nearness of her body seemed to bring back memories of a similar time. Jumbled images of Catherine and him flashed through his mind, and he held on tighter to Catherine, letting the images flow through him. Slowly, they resolved into a logical order. What he had seen as his darker side had come to the fore, and his need for Catherine had been unable to be denied any longer. Instead of shrinking back, Catherine had met him there, and even welcomed him, giving him the comfort of her body that he hadn't been able to ask for before.

He looked up at her, relaxing the iron grip he had on her. She stroked his hair, worry for him in her eyes. Slowly, he thought he could feel something, and felt his awareness of her emotions slowly coming back. Her love for him, and worry for his health, flooded through him.

"Catherine, it's back. My awareness of you is back," Vincent marveled. How he could have denied himself, and her, out of a mistaken belief that he wasn't worthy? He had almost lost them their bond.

"Then, you can feel my love for you?" she asked. "You know I want everything you can give me?"

"Yes. Will you forgive me for doubting?"

"I forgive you. Just promise me you'll come to me with any doubts or concerns you have. The only way we can be together is if we share, both the good and the bad."

"I promise," Vincent vowed, and sealed it with a kiss.


	13. Chapter 13

"Well, Catherine," Father said, "I must say Vincent seems to be more at peace with you around."

Catherine smiled, and gestured for him to sit down at the table with her. "He certainly does," she said, taking a sip of her coffee.

"And where is he now? He usually makes a point of stopping by the dining hall for a bite of breakfast, and to see if any projects need his help."

"He's been and gone. Kanin stopped by and asked for his help to work on a leaky pipe."

"Good. I've noticed he been more at peace with you around, especially in the last day or so. I'm glad that your presence seems to have that effect on him."

Catherine smiled. There was a time when Vincent's adoptive father had disapproved of his son's relationship with her, thinking her a flighty socialite. Truth be told, there was a time in her life he would have been absolutely correct. Her relationship with Vincent had allowed her to mature, showing her an aspect of life she wouldn't have dreamed existed. Hearing Father's approval of their relationship gave her more pleasure than she would've thought.

"The memory gaps from his sickness are slowly returning, as has his bond with me. I think that has given him more confidence," Catherine said.

"That's wonderful news," Father responded.

* * *

The next couple weeks flew by in a haze, as the joint FBI-NYPD task force tracked down leads on the RICO case involving Gabriel's organized crime ring. Hunter and McCall spent as many days apart as together, in the course of the investigation. They did, however, come home each night, to each other's arms, to talk over the events of each other's day and watch as Chloe grew faster by the day.

* * *

Isabella Hunter hadn't been on a plane in quite a while, so when she survived the flight from LA to New York in one piece with only minor turbulence on the way, she considered it not a minor miracle. She gathered her things, and followed the other passengers off the plane.

She looked around as she exited the plane and spotted Ricky, holding Chloe on his hip, to her right. His fiancee stood next to him. She headed over to them, greeting her granddaughter first.

"Oh, I see how it is," Ricky said.

_No, he likes to be called Rick,_ Isabella thought to herself. She put down her carry-on bag, and reached for her granddaughter. "Babies always come first," she told her son, cooing and bouncing the baby on her hip. "I just thought you'd never get around to giving me one of these," she said, "or get around to getting married. You were never one for shotgun weddings."

"Well, Chloe had to make sure we were keepers, you know," Rick said.

Isabella rolled her eyes, and looked to her soon to be daughter-in-law. "You certain you want to handle him?"

"Yeah. He's actually quite sweet, in his own way, once you get past the tough guy routine. But then, I kinda like tough guys," McCall answered.

Isabella smiled and nodded. She had to admit, the girl Ricky had chosen certainly suited him.

They made they're way down to the baggage claim area and picked up Isabella's bags, then headed home.


	14. Chapter 14

Catherine Chandler sat at the vanity in her bedroom. The apartment still smelled somewhat musty from disuse. The fall had turned into early winter, or she would have opened the French doors to the balcony to air the apartment.

Gabriel's RICO case broke wide open when the FBI code crackers finally cracked the book, and the case was now with the U.S. Attorney's office pending trial. Since John Moreno and those directly involved in her kidnapping had made plea deals in exchange for testifying in the RICO case, Agent McCall had felt it was safe for her to come Above. McCall had even offered to accompany Catherine to her apartment after updating her on the case.

She now had a decision to make: Whether she wanted to move back Above, or stay Below with Vincent permanently.

"It must seem strange to be back here, after all the time away," Dee Dee McCall said, leaning against the bedroom door frame.

"It is. I was just pondering. I have a decision to make about my life Above," Catherine replied.

"Do you still want a relationship with Vincent?"

Catherine nodded, smiling. "Oh, yes. But that means giving up my life Above, if I stay Below with him."

"Does it? I once thought that I had to give up being a cop if I wanted kids and a family. But here I am, an FBI agent with a kid and preparing for a wedding. I could have never dreamed of this scenario. I won't lie and say it was always easy; there have been kinks to work out. But Rick and I worked through them together, and we've made a pretty good life for ourselves. Sometimes have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming."

"Rick can join you here Above, though. Vincent can't," Catherine said.

"Maybe you could find someplace in between," McCall said thoughtfully. "Is there someplace you could make safe for Vincent to stay Above, and give him safe access to Below?"

Catherine seemed to consider this. "Have Vincent live Above with me? It would need to be private, so a townhouse, at least," she thought out loud, "My father. I never sold my father's brownstone after he died. I grew up there, and I couldn't bring myself to sell it so soon after he died. I've just been renting it out, since it was too big for only me. I'd have to see if the tunnels could be connected to the basement…"

McCall smiled, watching the wheels turn in the other woman's head. She had no doubt the other woman would find a way.


	15. Chapter 15

Kanin felt the wall of the tunnel. "Yes, we should be able to make a passage here. How far did you say we were away from Catherine's basement, Mouse?"

Mouse paced a distance of about 2 yards. "This far," he said.

"Good, it should take about a week to dig the passage and make the entrance into your basement. When do you want us to start, Catherine?"

Catherine considered. "The renters are leaving the day after tomorrow. Can you start in 3 days? I don't want them getting suspicious if they hear you digging."

Familiar footsteps came down the tunnel and Catherine smiled.

"So," Vincent said, "Pascal said my help was needed on a project?"

"Good project. Best project!" Mouse said excitedly, bouncing on his feet. He grabbed Catherine's hand, then Vincent's hand, and brought them together.

Catherine took Vincent's hand. "I wanted to make sure it was possible. The house I grew up in is 2 yards past this tunnel wall. I inherited it after my father died, and couldn't bring myself to sell it. Too many memories were made there; ones only I remember, now. Vincent, Kanin and Mouse say making an entrance to the basement should take about a week. I'd like to make new memories there, with you, if you'll agree."

Vincent looked into Catherine's eyes. "You've always dreamed big for me, Catherine. Is this possible? For us to live Above?"

"It's a townhouse, on the end, so we only share one wall with the neighbors. I own it free and clear, so we don't have to worry about anyone taking it away or poking in on us. I want to share this with you, to give you as much of a chance to live in the sunlight with me as possible," Catherine answered. She pulled the hand she was holding to her growing belly. "You, and our child."

Vincent looked down at where his hand lay on Catherine's body. The child within moved, poking an extremity at his hand. Vincent looked up into Catherine's eyes, which were filled with love and hope.

"It seems the baby agrees, Catherine," Vincent marveled. He took her other hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing it. "As do I."

* * *

The tunnel entrance to Catherine's basement was completed quickly, as there were more volunteers for the project than were strictly needed. They were even able to install a door that hid itself when closed, as a security measure to help keep the entrance safe from prying eyes.

Move in day to the house came before Catherine knew it. She hired a moving company owned by a Helper. They had quickly packed up her small apartment, and Catherine now leaned against a stool in the foyer of her childhood home, letting the movers know where to put her things.

Finally, all the boxes and furniture had been offloaded from the van. She signed the foreman's work order, and closed the door.

She heard Vincent coming down the stairs, from where he'd been helping on the second level. She stood up and turned to him.

"How are you feeling, Catherine?" he asked, reaching out for her hand.

"Tired. Happy," she answered, taking his hand.

"You should rest," he said, as he guided her to the couch in the living room, and helped her to put her feet up.

"There's so much to do," Catherine protested, as Vincent laid a blanket over her legs and sat down on a nearby box.

"Those things can be paced out," Vincent retorted. "The immediate things are set up. The bed is set up and made, your toiletries are in the master bathroom, and everything else can be unpacked as we need them."

"I just want this to be perfect for you," Catherine said.

"It is. You're here, aren't you?" he asked.

Catherine smiled and pulled him in for a kiss.


	16. Chapter 16

Dee Dee McCall looked at her reflection in the mirror, and smoothed the dress against her skin. It was a simple cream colored affair, with lace on the bodice and a fitted skirt that ended just above her knees. She had her hair up, styled the same way as the night she and Rick had first acted on their romantic feelings for each other.

"You look beautiful," her mother, Evelyn, said from behind her daughter. "I'm so glad for you and Rick."

"Thank you, Mom," she said.

Kitty O'Hearn, who had flown in for the wedding to be her maid of honor, knocked on the door and stepped inside. "We're ready for the bride," she said.

Dee Dee turned toward the door, and smiling, walked towards the nave of the chapel. Kitty started down the aisle, then the wedding march started. Dee Dee saw loved ones sitting in the pews in her peripheral vision, but only had eyes for the man standing in front of the altar. She walked down the aisle, towards her future. When she made it to the front of the church, she took Rick's hand, and they turned to the pastor.

The pastor started the ceremony, but Dee Dee could only focus on Rick's hand in hers. He caught her eye, and smiled.

* * *

Rick could feel Dee Dee's nervous energy when he took her hand. He glanced over, caught her eye, and smiled.

"...Rick and Dee Dee have written their own vows," the pastor continued. "Rick?"

Rick took a deep breath. "Dee Dee, I can no longer imagine my world without you in it. I promise to do everything in my power to support you through the good times and the bad, to love and cherish you."

He turned and took the ring from Captain Devane, standing next to him as his best man, then turned back to Dee Dee and slipped it into her finger.

Dee Dee took a deep breath. "Rick, you have become my safe place to land. I promise to be there for you through the good times and the bad and to give you a safe place to land when the world gets too tough."

She took the ring from Kitty O'hearn on her left and slipped it onto Rick's finger.

The pastor pronounced them man and wife, and Mr and Mrs Rick Hunter kissed.


	17. Chapter 17

Isabella Hunter cried through the ceremony, holding her granddaughter on her lap. She never thought she'd see this day: her Ricky, with a baby and a new wife.

The two finally broke their kiss, and turned to their family and friends. Ricky moved to take the baby from Isabella, then the newly official family walked down the aisle of the church.

The guests slowly started to filter out, and made their way to the reception hall behind the church. Rick still held Chloe in his arms as Isabella watched as Ricky and Dee Dee dance their first dance as a married couple, to the strains of Cher singing "After All". Rick took a turn to dance with his mother, and it seemed every male guest wanted a turn to dance with the bride.

Captain Devane sat at the table, with the other guests from the LAPD. He'd known it was the end of an era when Hunter and McCall had left the LAPD, but there was that saying about every end being a new beginning.

There was finally a break in the crowd around McCall, and he stood up to take advantage of it.

"So, McCall, would you like to dance, or would you like an excuse to sit down for a bit?" Devane asked.

"Sit, if you don't mind," she answered, and they moved to the side of the dance floor and sat down.

"You know, McCall, when we sent you off to the FBI, we didn't think you'd take the East Coast by storm. Weddings, breaking open stalled RICO cases ..." Devane trailed off.

McCall laughed. "I'd give up all the RICO cases in the world if it meant I could spend more time with Rick and Chloe."

"I know, McCall. That's part of what makes you such a good cop. I hope you know that means I'll be bragging about you for a while. 'That Sgt. McCall, I supervised her for years. Now she's a big time FBI Agent.'"

McCall smiled, and kissed him on the cheek. "You're at a good man, Charlie. Brag all you want, and send anyone that gives you trouble my way."

* * *

Catherine sat down in the rocking chair, surveying the work that had been done. The nursery had come along nicely. They'd chosen a soft green for the wall color, and the crib and changing table had been delivered just that morning. The store she had bought them from offered a setup service, and their worker had just left.

She adjusted her position and rubbed her stomach. She was finding it harder and harder to find a comfortable position as her pregnancy progressed. This morning had been extra uncomfortable, though. She hadn't felt hungry this morning, and had only eaten a small breakfast to ease Vincent's mind, before he had headed Below to help out on one of the never-ending projects that kept the community there running.

She heard the doorbell ring, and stood up. She made her way down the stairs as the bell rang again.

"Hold your horses," she called, as she reached the foyer and looked through the peephole.

She smiled and opened the door. "Joe, come in."

Joe Maxwell stepped into the house, and Catherine gestured for him to have a seat in the living room.

"I see you're still settling in," he said as sat on the couch.

"Yeah, well, moving furniture and unpacking boxes has to be done at a certain pace in my condition," she responded, sitting opposite him.

"And the father of the baby? Where is he?" Joe asked protectively.

"At work."

Joe nodded warily. "Someday I'm going to have to meet this guy that stole your heart," he replied.

"We'll see. So, what brings you by?"

"Just checking in on my favorite crusading lady D.A."

Catherine nodded. "Don't worry, I intend to come back and be a thorn in your side. I'd like to get settled, first, after what happened, and maybe greet the baby into the world."

Joe nodded. "Take care. Call me anytime if you need anything."

"Don't worry, Joe. I will," Catherine promised.


	18. Chapter 18

Just as she was showing Joe Maxwell out, Catherine felt a cramping in her stomach and brought a hand to her belly.

"You ok, Radcliffe?" Joe asked.

"I've been uncomfortable all morning," she replied. "I just chalked it up to being heavily pregnant. Maybe it's been more than that?"

Joe guided Catherine to the living room couch and helped her to sit down.

"Do you want me to call anyone for you?" he asked.

Vincent couldn't be called by telephone, and she couldn't go to the basement to tap a message on the pipes to him with Joe there. Joe wouldn't leave if he thought she needed help. _Peter_, she thought.

"Dr. Alcott's number is by the phone in the kitchen. You can call him. He can get a message to the father if need be," Catherine answered.

Joe went to the kitchen and placed the call to Dr Alcott. Dr. Alcott advised he'd get a message to the father, and head over to Catherine's as soon as he could get away from his office. Joe headed back to the living room.

"Dr. Alcott said he'd get a message to the father, and head over to check on you as soon as he can get away from the office," Joe let Catherine know. "I'll stay until one of them gets here."

"You don't have to do that, Joe," she protested.

Xxxxx

Vincent heard the message tapped out on the pipes, and excused himself from the work detail to head back to the brownstone - to _home_. It took him a good 45 minutes to get back there. When he did, he slipped in through the hidden basement door, closing it behind him, and washed off the dust in the basement laundry sink.

The basement stairs led to the kitchen. He looked through the peephole in the door to the kitchen, and saw that it was empty. He reached out for his bond with Catherine and felt her anxiousness spike.

He opened the door and followed his sense of her to the living room, straight to where she was sitting. He crouched down and took her hand.

"Catherine, are you ok?"

She squeezed his hand. "Just a contraction," she said as the contraction eased. "You're here," she smiled.

Vincent could feel some of the tension leave Catherine's body as she gazed at him, then return as she looked over his shoulder. He turned to see Joe Maxwell standing in front of the armchair he'd been sitting in, mouth hanging open like a fish.

"Hello, I'm Vincent," he introduced himself.

Joe's mouth worked silently for a moment, before he pulled himself together. "Joe Maxwell," he said, extending his hand.

Vincent took the other man's hand and shook it. "It's good to finally meet you. I've heard good things about you."

"I can't say the same thing," Joe answered.

"Will you two sit down? My neck's getting a kink looking up at you," Catherine said.

Vincent sat down on the couch with Catherine and Joe sat back down in his chair.

"Well, I'm glad you two are finally meeting," Catherine said.

"I would like to thank you for waiting with Catherine," Vincent said to Joe. "It's good to know she has friends Above who care for her."

Joe looked from Catherine to Vincent, and back to Catherine, as if trying to parse their relationship. The way Catherine had instantly relaxed when Vincent showed up told Joe that she trusted him.

"Would you like me to stay until Dr Alcott shows up?" Joe asked.

"I think I'd like to lay down for a bit," Catherine answered. "Vincent can stay with me 'till Peter gets here."

Joe nodded, and took Catherine's hand. "Call me if you need anything."

"Thanks for being understanding, Joe," she responded, and kissed him on the cheek.

Joe shook Vincent's hand before letting himself out. Vincent guided Catherine up to their bedroom, and helped her to lay down to rest.


	19. Chapter 19

It took Peter Alcott longer than he would have liked to get away from the office and make it to Catherine Chandler's brownstone.

He used the key Catherine had given him to let himself in, and called out a hello to the house. Vincent appeared at the top of the stairs.

Vincent gestured for Peter to come up, and Peter followed him into the bedroom.

"Well, how are you doing?" Peter asked Catherine.

"Ready to meet the baby," she responded.

"Well, let's see how close you are to doing that," Peter said.

He examined Catherine. "Well, you're progressing fine. It'll be a little while yet before you meet baby, but Vincent and I will be right here with you."

* * *

Catherine leaned against Vincent she felt another urge to push. She heard Vincent and Peter encouraging her, and leaned against Vincent as she pushed.

"That's great, Cathy," she heard Peter say as the urge to push let up.

She relaxed against Vincent, and rested for what seemed a second before the urge to push returned. She started pushing again, and heard Vincent remind her to breathe.

"That's it, Cathy, the baby's crowning now," Peter reassured her as she pushed and the pain seemed to peak. "Ease a bit; slowly now," Peter said as the baby's head slowly emerged. Catherine couldn't how slow or fast things were, and could only focus on how the urge to push peaked and then let up in waves. A few more pushes and the baby emerged into the world.

"You have a beautiful baby boy," Peter exclaimed, as he laid the child on Catherine's stomach.

Catherine looked down to see the baby, and eyes the exact color of Vincent's met hers. She held him to her.

"He has my eyes, and your nose," Vincent marveled to Catherine.

"He's perfect," she smiled, exhausted. She stroked the baby's cheek, then his slightly thickened upper lip. It didn't have the prominent cleft of his father's upper lip, but she could definitely see a mix of her and Vincent's features in the baby's face.

"Would dad like to cut the cord?" Peter asked.

Vincent nodded, took the scissors from Peter, and cut where the doctor indicated.

Peter stayed while the placenta was delivered and helped to get both mother and son comfortable after their shared ordeal. The next day, he filed the birth certificate for Charles Jacob Chandler, who was named after both his grandfathers.


	20. Chapter 20

Chloe pulled herself up against the couch and reached for the bit of color in her father's hand. He smiled and waved the teething ring just out of her reach.

"Come on, sweetie, just one step. I know you can do it," Hunter cooed at his daughter.

Chloe reached for the ring, took a hesitant step, and immediately fell onto her backside. She scrunched her face as if about to cry.

"Ah, sweetie, don't cry," Hunter comforted, scooping her up into his lap and handing her the toy. Chloe stuck the teething ring in her mouth and leaned against her father.

"It's almost as if she has you wrapped around her finger," McCall smiled from the doorway to the kitchen.

There was a knock at the kitchen window, and McCall peered through the window. Vincent waited outside on the fire escape. "_Vincent_," she mouthed to Hunter before moving to open the window and let him in. McCall led him to the living room and invited him to sit.

Vincent perused the family photos displayed around the room. They were mainly a mix of Dee Dee, Rick, and Chloe in various combinations with family and friends. One was of an exhausted Dee Dee in a hospital bed holding her newborn daughter, while Hunter grinned happily next to them.

"That's our first official family photo. I wanted to put it on our Christmas cards, but Dee Dee nixed that idea."

Vincent turned to the other man, whose face showed a mix of pride and laughter. McCall playfully swatted Hunter.

"It was amazing watching my own son being born," Vincent sighed. "I look at him now, and can't imagine that I kept Catherine at an arm's length for so long."

Rick Hunter smiled and nodded. "They do capture your heart, don't they? Both the babies and their mothers," he said, stroking his daughter's hair as she leaned against him.

Vincent nodded, then pulled a couple tricolor candles from his cloak. "I've discussed it with the community below, and we're all grateful to the both of you for getting Catherine back for us. These candles represent an invitation to a community celebration called Winterfest. It's a time for both those who live Below and our Helpers Above to come together and celebrate. We'd like to invite you this year." He held the two candles out to them.

McCall took them. "When's the party?"

"Winter Solstice, December 22nd. We choose the Solstice, as a symbol that we can face the darkness together and that the light we share together can get us through the longest darkness. You can bring Chloe with you if you like. There will be other children there, and we'll be having Charles' naming ceremony there to introduce him to the community."

Hunter looked at McCall, and she nodded. "We'd love to come."

"Come to our brownstone at about 7 that night. A group of Helpers is meeting there and we'll all head Below together," Vincent said. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get home to my own little one," Vincent smiled, gesturing at the baby who'd fallen asleep in Rick's arms as they spoke.

Rick nodded and Dee Dee showed him out.


	21. Chapter 21

_Authors note: Sorry for the delay in posting a new chapter. Life and the holiday season got hectic._

* * *

Twilight fell early on the Solstice, and it was full dark by the time Hunter picked up Chloe from the daycare and headed over to the FBI Field Office to pick up Dee Dee. He found her at her desk, changing her shoes.

"Going on a hike?" he asked as she tied the laces on her sneakers.

"No, but Catherine Chandler said to wear comfortable shoes. Trust me, after the day I've had, those pumps can stay under the desk," McCall answered, gesturing to the pink pumps on the floor. "Unless you'd like to wear them to this shindig," she teased, "I always thought you'd look cute in high heels."

"As much as I'd love you to replace the shoes you once ralphed on, those quite aren't my style," Hunter retorted as they made their way to the elevator.

"As long as the suspect hits you in the gut next time, I'm ok with that," she smiled, poking him playfully in the ribs.

They caught a cab to Catherine Chandler's brownstone and rung the bell.

Peter Alcott opened the door and let them in. A group of Helpers was already present in the living room, cooing over the new baby. The Hunter family moved to join the group to dote on the newest bundle of joy.

Vincent poked his head out from the kitchen.

"I believe our group is complete. Shall we head down?" he asked.

The group followed Vincent down to the basement, through the hidden door, and through the tunnels. The group merged and mixed with several others as they made their way to the Great Hall.

Rick and Dee Dee marveled as they descended the final steps to the Great Hall with the rest of the group. A big double wooden door stood closed at the bottom of the stairs, a wooden bar keeping it shut.

"Friends, from both Above and Below, we would like to welcome you to Winterfest," Vincent said, pulling the bar from the door and setting it to the side. Two community members near him opened the doors, and the group filed into the hall.

The hall was dark, lit only enough so that the group could see where they were walking.

"Does everyone have their candles out?" someone called.

Dee Dee pulled 2 candles from her jacket and handed one to Rick, who was holding Chloe on his hip.

The group gathered around a long table, and Father started to speak, his candle already lit.

"The world above us is dark and gray, summer a distant memory. So we begin this feast in darkness, as out world began in darkness…"

A few community members lit their candles from his, and others from theirs.

Other community members took up the story, one by one, as it detailed how they shared their strength and help with each other and how they came together to remember the community spirit. The light grew and brightened as more candles were lit.

"...and so we come together to give thanks to those that helped us and to remember even the greatest darkness is nothing so long as we share the light," Father finished.

There was a pause, the Vincent stood from where he'd been sitting near Catherine.

"We have a special treat this year. As you know, Catherine has been returned to us, due to the efforts of our newest Helpers, Dee Dee and Rick Hunter," Vincent gestured to the couple.

The community clapped and cheered.

"And now, we have one more addition to the community that I believe needs introduction," Father said. "It has been said that the child is the meaning of this life. Today we celebrate the child, this new life that has been brought into this world. We welcome the child with love, that he may be able to love. We welcome the child with gifts, that he may learn generosity. And we welcome the child with a name, upon which I believe Catherine and Vincent have decided."

"Charles Jacob," Catherine introduced the newborn in her arms.

The cheers from the community were louder than the ones for Hunter and McCall.

The party got underway, and went well into the night. Most of the community had brought small gifts for the new baby, which were set to the side of the Great Hall for safe keeping. Hunter and McCall shook the hands of more people than they could remember the names of as they were thanked for bringing Catherine back to them. It was near dawn by the time most of the Helpers made their way home.

Vincent found Catherine cuddled with Charles, both soundly asleep, on one of the big armchairs that had been placed in the Great Hall for the party as it wrapped up. Vincent gently shook her awake.

"What do you say we adjourn to my old chamber for what remains of the night? The bed is still set up there"

Catherine nodded sleepily and they made their way to his old chamber.

"It seems less...lively here now that you've moved most of you stuff to the brownstone," Catherine noted as she changed into one of Vincent's old, soft shirts to use a sleepwear.

"Well, my life is where you and Charles are," Vincent replied, smiling down at his son as he placed him in a portable bassinet by the bed. "It's nice to have it here as a way-station, though, for nights like this. You're half falling asleep already," he laughed as Catherine's head dipped in sleep as she sat on the bed. He gently moved her legs onto the bed, pulled off his boots and outer garments, and joined her.

"Putting your family to bed?" Catherine asked.

Vincent spooned her and nodded. "Yes, now let's grab some sleep while Charles does. He'll be waking us all to soon."

Catherine nodded sleepily and relaxed into Vincent's embrace.


End file.
